LB657 and LB1152, passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts, adopted the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act and amended existing statutes to establish a state hemp program within the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA). The legislation gave NDA the authority to regulate the growing, processing, handling and brokering of hemp in Nebraska. To legally grow hemp in Nebraska, interested parties must receive a license from NDA, regardless of the size or purpose for cultivation. Growing, processing, handling, and/or brokering hemp without a license from NDA or a Tribe with a USDA-approved hemp plan is illegal in Nebraska.
The original intent of the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act (Hemp Farming Act) was to allow Nebraska farmers to legally grow hemp under the federal Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Unfortunately, the Hemp Farming Act is being used by some retail stores to make misleading claims regarding their cannabis products (CBD, THC, delta-8 THC and other synthetic THC cannabinoids). Finished hemp products are not regulated under the Hemp Farming Act. This does not mean, however, that such products are safe to consume. For items that are food (edible substances for human consumption), under the Nebraska Pure Food Act, CBD and other cannabis products would be considered an adulterated food. FDA’s position is that it is illegal to market CBD and other cannabis products by adding them to a food or labeling them as dietary supplements. For more information see https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd#relatedinfo and https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol-delta-8-thc.
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Below you will find links to all of the forms and applications associated with the Nebraska Hemp Program. Please read the application guidance document associated with your license type (cultivator or processor-handler) prior to submission. All license applications must be submitted by mail or in-person.
Forms
Applications
These lists are updated monthly. For the most current information, please call the Hemp Program.
Updated April 2023
To contact the Hemp Program, email agr.hemp@nebraska.gov or call 402-471-2351.